Quick Ramen Bowl

By noon today my throat had swollen up so big that I couldn’t swallow and my head was pounding. The sickness was upon me. So, as soon as I got home I started searching for something warm and soothing to eat. A quick scan of my refrigerator showed one lonely egg, some left over spinach, mushrooms and green onions from the salads that I packed for lunch this week and on top of the refrigerator I found my roommates stockpile of ramen noodles. Bingo! A hot soothing bowl of “souped up” ramen! Now, I know I may sound a little like a hypocrite because in my “About Budget Bytes” introduction I spoke of not having to eat ramen noodles every day to stay on a budget. That being said, you can do some pretty delicious things with these humble packages of noodles. This one is great because not only does it increase the nutritional value (if it had any to begin with) but it is an excellent way to use leftover veggies – experiment with whatever you have. Plus, when you’re sick, an easy, hot, soothing and delicious bowl of noodles is just what the doctor ordered!

Quick Ramen Bowl

Quick Ramen Bowl

Turn a boring and inexpensive pack of ramen into a flavorful and filling meal with these quick and easy add-ins.

Total Cost: $1.01 recipe

Prep Time: 5mins

Cook Time: 15mins

Total Time: 20mins

Servings: 1

Ingredients

1packageramen noodles ($0.25)

1cupfresh spinach ($0.17)

3medium button mushrooms ($0.26)

2whole green onions ($0.16)

1large egg, optional($0.12)

1tspchili garlic paste, optional($0.05)

Instructions

In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, wash and slice your veggies. Once the water is boiling, add the dry noodles and cook according to the package directions (boil about 5 minutes). Add the seasoning packet (or half a packet if you prefer less sodium) and stir until dissolved.

Turn the heat down to medium and stir in all of your fresh veggies. Allow them to sit in the hot (not boiling) broth for 1-2 minutes or until slightly softened.

Make a well in the center of the pot and crack the egg into it. Allow the egg to poach in the broth until the whites are solid but the yolk is still runny. Alternatively, you can break the yolk and stir the pot just slightly to yield egg ribbons like in egg drop soup. The water should not be boiling at this point or else your egg will dissolve into such small pieces that it will just give you a cloudy broth.

Pour the soup into a bowl and serve with a dollop of chili garlic paste on the side.

Step By Step Photos

While you cook the ramen noodles, chop whatever fresh veggies you have on hand.

After the noodles have cooked and you have added the seasoning packet, stir in the veggies and allow them to poach for a minute or so.

Crack the egg into the center of the pot and allow it to poach as well (no picture, please forgive me, I’m sick as a dog!)

I like to leave the yolk runny so that when I finally break it, I get a little shot of creamy yolk heaven!

There are so many good things that you can add to your ramen bowl, don’t be shy. You can try cabbage, sesame seeds, beans, shredded carrots, grilled chicken, shrimp… make it different every time! If you don’t have chili garlic paste, sriracha sauce is also excellent. A sprinkle of sesame oil over top would be even more special. I had a wonderful noodle bowl at a restaurant a while back that came with a side of plum sauce that added an INCREDIBLE flavor to the broth… now I just have to find some to buy somewhere!

80 comments on “Quick Ramen Bowl”

Ramen is a special thing I make in our home. For those that don’t want the “package” ramen, use hondashi and low sodium chicken bullion for your base. Also. The noodles we use are angel hair pasta. Any combination of veggies and meat go great with a little fish cake and ramen egg. It’s not exactly like the ones I had in Japan but it’s the closest we’ve come to feeling like we were at the railroad tracks in Zushi watching the ramen man make our big bowls of heaven. Those soup bases are something special.

1100 mg of sodium in pkg of top ramen. So even 1/2 a pkg is 550 mg of sodium in one serving. Thats ridiculous- after you ate your soup did you drink three gallons of water because the salt made you so thirsty? Maybe next time some low sodium or even better no sodium chicken/beef/pork/shrimp broth would be much healthier. List my mom and my sister to calcification of the aortic valve- basically they salted themselves to death over a course of 40 years.

I lived in a dorm with men and women from all over the globe. As an audiophile I was part of the Global Living and Learning Community. ONE person wouldn’t drain their sodium flavored sodium. Nobody else was that dim….but enjoy that narrow mind of yours.

When I see simple, quick, and easy (and cheap!) recipes like this, I get so happy, but I also get almost a little bit disheartened because, why didn’t I think of this? Something that now seems almost obvious, made up of a few ingredients I already have at my disposal, and yet I had to find the recipe online. I want to be fully independent and cook very nice meals, not necessarily gourmet or anything, but enough to impress my friends and guests with such savory simplicity and elegance, as is this here bowl of soup. Your blog brings me joy, and also hope that maybe one day I’ll be able to create a satisfying dish off the top of my head, by just looking at what I already have on hand. I hope you know that your blog is more than just ways to get food ready, it’s a beacon of hope to young college kids who are just now weaving into their silk cocoons, awaiting adulthood. Thank you, Beth.

Hi! I’m Beth

As a food lover and a number cruncher I've decided that cooking on a budget shouldn't mean canned beans and ramen noodles night after night. Join me for delicious recipes designed for small budgets. More »